What is the glycemic index of a multigrain English muffin?

DEAR PEGGY: Can you please tell me the glycemic index of a multigrain English muffin? Each muffin has 100 calories, 22 g of carbs and 8 g fiber. If I wanted to decrease the "glycemic load" of this muffin, would it be as simple as adding a protein such as scrambled egg substitute or perhaps whipped cream cheese? —L.F., Peachtree, Georgia

The glycemic index (GI) of a whole grain English muffin is 45. The glycemic load factors in the amount of food eaten when considering the glycemic index. It's found by multiplying the food's GI by carbohydrate grams per serving then dividing by 100.

The glycemic index is based solely on how one food (not a combination of foods) raises blood sugar over a period of time. But it's been criticized because we rarely eat one type of food at a time; we eat a combination, which changes the rate at which foods are absorbed. So there's no glycemic load I could give you or calculate based on a combination of foods eaten with an English muffin. We do know that, in general, eating carbs with protein and fat helps slow digestion and, theoretically, keeps blood sugar more stable.